Yoga For Anxiety

Let’s face it most of us at some point in our lives, if not most of our lives suffer from some sort of anxiety.

I definitely know I do, number one procrastinator - yes procrastinating can be a form of anxiety.

What is anxiety?

A brief and general explanation of anxiety is the constant feelings of worry, fear, nervousness and panic.

These feelings or emotions can affect how we behave, our sleep, appetite, focus and overall well-being.

Severe anxiety can have a major impact on our everyday lives.

So how can yoga help?

Yoga is a practice that allows us to consciously breath and move, activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms down and relaxes the body and the mind.

During yoga the body releases endorphins also known as our ‘happy hormones’ YaY!

It also teaches us and gives us the opportunity to focus all of our attention on our breath. We use the breath in yoga as a tool which brings us into the present moment.

When practicing yoga asanas or ‘yoga poses’ and pranayama ‘breathing exercises’ you are taught to take notice of when the mind travels and to bring your awareness back to your breath and body, learning how to observe what is happening in your body and mind and then consciously bringing your attention back to your breath without any judgement.

Over time this will become habitual and you can use these tools in your every day life to stay present, focused, worry free or to pull yourself out of a panic.

Different yoga poses also release different areas of tension in your body and sometimes releases stagnant emotions being held onto by the body.

For example stretching the neck and shoulders will release the tension you have built in those areas due to stress. We also hold particular emotions in other parts of our body such as the hips, so releasing tension in these areas are an amazing way to let go of energy we are holding onto that may be causing us to feel low.

Did you know we hold emotions in our hips?

I think that one is for another blog, but it sure is common that students have a little cry when holding postures that release tension in the hips. What a beautiful and natural way to heal our bodies!

Check out my Instagram account to find my favourite yoga poses to help relieve stress & anxiety - www.instagram.com/whispawellness/

If you are interested in trying yoga and would love to attend one of my classes please visit my website www.whispawellness.com.au to get in touch.